Rest in Peace – well for a while
French cemetery at Venafro Most of Southern Italy is very mountainous and this makes arable land very precious for growing crops and grazing animals. It leaves very little land suitable for cemeteries’ and burials. Prior to Napoleon’s conquering of Italy bodies were interred in the crypt below the church floor. There was a strict order … Continue reading
Traditions of Dying
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Surnames of Italy
Italians are finally catching up with the rest of the world in the realm of surnames. 350,000 surnames can be found in Italy, the highest number of different surnames in one country in the world. In Italy up to 2016 it was not legally possible to have more than one surname. I can hear the … Continue reading
Violence against women and the law.
It’s a hot topic today but check out this Italian law. To repress the disordered (uncontrolled) vice of the flesh the death penalty is imposed for incest up to the third degree of consanguinity and to the first and second degree of kinship, after which, in both cases, is imposed the penalty of jail, which … Continue reading
Sins of the father….the story of Anna
Stories about women are rare so I would like to take a few minutes of your time to focus on a kind of heroine. One who went against the culture and traditions of the time. A young woman whose true story we will never know, but one that we can imagine, based on various documents … Continue reading
Italian/Albanian ancestry? We can help!
Please welcome Giuseppe Baffa to our team. Giuseppe has a degree in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage. He has published many papers and books on various issues related to Arbëresh culture and tradition, which he knows very well. In addition to being interested in Albanian culture, he is an arbëresh living in Santa Sofia d’Epiro, … Continue reading
The battle against epidemics in the 1800’s
With all the hype about today’s epidemic of the Coronavirus I couldn’t help rereading a book written and researched by the schoolchildren of Sora 10 years ago about the fight against epidemics in the 1800’s. I have translated and extracted some of the more interesting information for your entertainment. The two big epidemics of the … Continue reading
Military Uniforms and History
Today I would like to direct you to a terrific website which is in English, and tells the story of the Italian military from 1861 when the Italian army was first formed to today. http://www.esercito.difesa.it/en/History/ It has stories and photos of the birth of the Italian Army and of major battles fought in Africa, Italy … Continue reading
Crolla family legacy
Jan’s mother was born in 1937 in England, more than 100 years after her Great Grandfather was born in Fontitune, a small hamlet outside the town of Picinisco. Her daughter, who is the family genealogist, wanted to walk the streets of her ancestors and convinced her mother and three sisters to accompany her on this … Continue reading
Finding Foglio Matricolare – Italian Military Records
Finding the military service record for an ancestor can be a great source of satisfaction……or not. Seeing your ancestor labelled as a ‘deserter’ can be a shock but often it just means that they did not return to Italy when called for military service from whichever country they had emigrated to. Refusing to serve meant … Continue reading
Angel Research and Genealogical Services 